Display container



June 22, 1965 CAIN T 3,190,438

DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed Dec. 14. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 3

FIG. 2.

INVENTORS JAMES F. CAIN MARVIN H. GRABOSKY BY 5 WALTER o. GURDACK WWWATTOR N EYS June 22, 1965 J. F. CAIN ETAL 3,190,438

DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed Dec. 14, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR5 JAMESF. CAIN MARVIN H. GRABOSKY BY 8| WALTER D. GURDACK ATTORNEYS UnitedStates Patent 3,190,438 DISPLAY CONTAINER James F. Cain, Marvin H.Grabosky, and Walter D. Gurdack, Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to BayukCigars Incorporated, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Maryland FiledDec. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 244,630 4 Claims. (Cl. 20645) This inventionrelates to a display container and more particularly relates to adisplay container suitable for the display of a mass or plurality ofupstanding elongated objects, such as, for example, cigarettes orcigars. For purposes of convenience and without intending any limitationthereby, the display container of this invention will be described inconnection with cigars.

The display container of this invention provides a container in whichthe cigars can be tightly packed for storage and shipment and in whichthe cigars or any portion thereof can be elevated for purposes of makingan attractive sales display of the cigars.

The invention and its objects will be further clarified by reading thefollowing description in conjunction with the drawings in which:

' FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through the body of a display containerof the invention in the display position;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the body of the display container ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section through the container of FIGURE 1 showinga portion of the parts nested and additionally showing a top for thecontainer;

FIGURE 4 is a front perspective view of the assembled container ofFIGURE 3 ready for shipment;

FIGURE 5 is a front perspective view of the container of FIGURE'4 withthe top removed;

FIGURE 6 is a front elevation of the container of FIGURE 4 with the topremoved and showing an alternative rod for elevating the cigarsupporting platform; and

FIGURE 7 is a front elevation showing the container of FIGURE 6 in thedisplay position with the cigar supporting platforms elevated by theelevating rod.

Referring to FIGURES 1 through 3, a display container 2 in accordancewith the invention has a body 4 having by way of specific illustration acylindrical inner wall 6 and a cylindrical outer wall 8, the top ofwhich lies below the top of wall 6. Walls 6 and 8 are crimped in thedownwardly extending periphery 10 of bottom wall 12. Bottom wall 12 isprovided with vent openings 14.

A ring 16 of, for example, fiber board lies on bottom wall 12 adjacentinner wall 6 and supports an upstanding circle of cigars indicated at13, A platform 20 has an elevated ring portion 22 adjacent its peripheryand a recessed central portion 24. An upstanding skirt 26 is secured tothe outer periphery of platform 20, for example, by an adhesive.Platform 20 and the lower portion of skirt 26 are dimensioned to nestinside ring 16. A circle of cigars 28 are supported on upstanding ringportion 22, and receive lateral support from skirt 26.

A platform 32 supports an upstanding mass of cigars indicated at 34 andhas secured to its periphery, for example, by an adhesive an upstandingskirt 36 which gives the mass of cigars 34 lateral support. Platform 32and the lower portion of skirt 36 are dimensioned to nest in recessedcentral portion 24 of platform 20.

Bottom wall 12, platform 24, platform 32 are respectively provided withconcentric openings 38, 4t) and 42 which in the order named becomeprogressively smaller. An elevating rod 44 is provided with a head 45and progressively reduced portions 46, 48 and 50 which respectively haveslightly smaller diameters than openings 38, 40 and 42. Thus, as bestseen in FIGURE 1, portion passes through opening 42, the upper end ofportion 48 abuts against platform 32 and passes freely through openings38 and 40, and the upper end of portion 46 abuts against platform 20while portion 46 passes freely through opening 38. The upward movementofelevating rod 44 is limited by the engagement of head 45 with bottomwall 12.

Display container 2 is provided with a top 54 (FIG- URE 3) which has aninner cylindrical wall 56 of the same diameter as wall 6 and an outercylindrical wall 58 which extends below wall 56 and is of the diameterof wall 8. Walls 56 and 58 are held crimped in upstanding peripheralportion 60 of top wall 62. As illustrated in FIGURE 4, top 54 can beplaced on body 4 with outer wall 58 telescoping over inner wall 6 andthe lower portions of walls 56 and 58 respectively abutting against theupper portions of walls 6 and 8. The walls 6, 8, 12, 56 and 58 and 62can be made from a wide variety of materials conventionally used in boxmaking, for example, from cardboard for walls 6, 8, 56, 58 and tin forwalls 12 and 62.

Operation In use, the above-described display container will be packedwith cigars with platform 20 nested inside ring 16 and platform 32nested inside platform 20 so that the top surfaces of ring 16 andplatforms 22 and 32 will lie in substantially the same plane (see FIGURE3) to place the top of the cigars in substantially the same plane wherethey can be tightly held by top 54. As best seen in FIG- URE 5 whichshows the cigars packed in display container 2 in this manner, elevatingrod 44 is inserted substantially in the center of the mass of cigars 34-to be coaxial with openings 38, 40 and 42. With the display containerthus packed, top 54 is telescoped onto body 4 to form the completedcontainer shown in FIGURE 4.

When the retailer receives the display container 2, he removes top 54and then withdraws elevating rod 44 from the mass of cigars 34. He theninserts elevating rod 44 through opening 38 in bottom wall 12 with theend portion 50 passing through opening 42 in platform 32 and into theopening in the center of cigars 34 made by rod 44 when in its packedposition. As he continues to push the rod 44 into body 4, the portion 48of rod 44 engages platform 32 and elevates it together with the mass ofcigars 34. Subsequently, portion 46 of rod 44 engages platform 20 andraises it together with the ring of cigars 28 until the head 45 abutsagainst bottom wall 12 at which point its lower face lies in the planeof the lower edge of periphery 10. This provides the display illustratedin section in FIGURE 1.

It will be understood that if the display container is to be used onlyfor display purposes and not for the sale of the displayed items fromthe display container, simplification of the structure can be achieved,for eX ample, by the elimination of portion 50 of rod 44 and byeliminating skirts 36 and 26. However, these structural features aredesirable where purchasers will remove cigars from the displaycontainer. Thus, after the ring of cigars 18 and ring of cigars 28 areremoved, portion 50 of rod 44 prevents the lateral displacement ofplatform 32. Similarly, skirt 36 prevents the mass of cigars 34 fromtumbling out laterally. Similarly, if only the ring of cigars 18 isremoved, skirt 26 prevents the ring of cigars 28 from tumblingoutwardly.

It will be apparent that the above specifically described embodiment ofthe invention is not intended to be limiting and that numerousmodifications may be made. Thus, for example, as illustrated in FIGURE6, a coni cally shaped elevating rod 64 having an enlarged head 66 canbe employed, the only requirement with respect to the elevating rodbeing that it have spaced succes- 1. A display container for a pluralityof, upstanding 7 objects comprisinga container body having an upstandingcasing portion 7 and a bottom :portion with an opening therein and witha surfaceffor the support of a portion of the said objects, 7' aplatform having a periphery spaced inwardly from the casing portion anda surface for the support at least a portion of said objects, a saidplatform having an opening therein, j means forming a nest adjacent thebottom portion re-' ceiving the platform with the opening in theplatform aligned with the opening in the bottom portion and thesupporting surfaces of the bottomportion and the platform lyingsubstantially in the same plane, a rod inserted throughthe, opening inthe bottom por= tion and into the opening in theplatform' ,With aportion engaging the platform and elevating the platform to a j1V6l"bC10W the. level of the top of the objects supported on the bottomportion to display'th f objects supported on the platform. I j '2. Acontainer in' accordance with claim 1 in which an upstanding skirt issecured to the periphery of the platform to provide lateral support tothe objects on the platform and to the objects on the bottomportion.

3. A display container for a plurality of upstanding and a bottomportion with an opening, therein and" i with a surface for the supportofa portion of the said objects, I f a platform having a periphery spacedinwardly from the casing portion and a surface for the support of at 7the engagement of the platthe platform lying substantially inthe sameplane, a secondplatforrn having a periphery spaced inwardly from theperiphery of the first mentioned platform and asurface for the supportof at least a portion of 5 a said object s, V v e said second platformhaving an opening therein, meansfori'ning a nest in the first mentionedplatform for thereception of the sccondplatform with the openingfin thesecond platform aligned with the opening in the first mentioned platformand'the sup- 7 'in the same plane, and ,7 g H a a rodin'sertecLthroirgh, the opening ,inlthe bottom portion'andinto theopenings in the platforms with a portion engaging theifirstrnentionedplatform and elevating it to a level below the level of the top ofthe'oojects supported on the bottom portion and a 'portion to engage thesecond platform and elevate it above the first mentioned platform'toalevel below we the-rlevelof the'top of the objects supported on the tfirst mentioned platform. I 4f. Acontainer in accordance with claim 3 inwhich an upstanding skirt is secured to the'periphery of the firstmentioned platform to provide lateral support to the obejects on thefirst mentioned platform and to the objects on the bottom portion, and ian upstanding skirt secured to the periphery of the second platformtoprovide lateral support to the objects onthetfirst'mentioned'platformandto the objects a 9111116 secondplatform.' p

' References Cited by the Examiner V V UNITED STATES PATENTS. 361,6524/87 Somers .1. 206-45 1,799,994! 4/3'1, "Sternberg 31 273 I FOREIGNPATENTS 4,751 1 1/26 Australia. FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner.

GEORGEIO. RALSTON, Examiner.

7 iring surfaces of the platforms lying substantially

1. A DISPLAY CONTAINER FOR A PLURALITY OF UPSTANDING OBJECTS COMPRISINGA CONTAINER BODY HAVING AN UPSTANDING CAUSING PORTION AND A BOTTOMPORTION WITH AN OPENING THEREIN AND WITH A SURFACE FOR THE SUPPORT OF APORTION OF THE SAID OBJECTS, A PLATFORM HAVING A PERIPHERY SPACEDINWARDLY FROM THE CASING PORTION AND A SURFACE FOR THE SUPPORT OF ATLEAST A PORTION OF SAID OBJECTS, SAID PLATFORM HAVING AN OPENINGTHEREIN, MEANS FORMING A NEST ADJACENT THE BOTTOM PORTION RECEIVING THEPLATFORM WITH THE OPENING IN THE PLATFORM